Chicago
by imayhaveapoint
Summary: This story picks up directly after 13x16 and explains Aprils absence in the following episodes.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

The car had just exited the airport to pull onto the freeway and Harriet was already asleep. She almost always fell asleep during car rides, but April was hoping she would stay awake this time. The trip to Montana was the first time she had been away from her little girl since Jackson took her home from the hospital, and she was looking forward to hearing her giggles in person again. Because was watching Harriet sleep so intently, it took a few moments for her to realize Catherine was speaking from across the backseat.

"…and I only showed her a couple medical journals. She really seemed to like them, especially the urology ones. You know, she might just take after her grandma. Surgery is in her blood, after all." Catherine smiled as she thought of the idea of Harriet taking after her.

April met her eyes and smiled back at her. There was a time when the last thing she would have wanted was to have a child that took after Catherine Avery, but lately, she was starting to think it wasn't such a terrible idea. Catherine had supported her decision to take the Interim Chief of Surgery position when no one else did. And her support seemed genuine. Catherine's invitation to visit the Avery Trauma Center in Chicago had surprised April even more than her support, but regardless of the reason for the invitation, April couldn't wait to go. The Avery Trauma Center is one of the best in the country, and getting the chance to see the work they do there is an amazing opportunity. Their flight to Chicago was scheduled for tomorrow morning. She would never have planned two trips away from Harriet so close together but going to Montana was a last minute decision. Catherine had explained that Meredith couldn't go because Zola was sick, but after everything that happened in Montana, Jackson and April both knew that was not completely true.

Jackson's phone rang pulling April out of her thoughts. From the backseat she could not see his phone screen to know who was calling him, but she did recognize the puzzled look on his face as he pressed the accept button and lifted the phone to his ear.

"Maggie." He said. "What's up? Okay. Okay. Yeah, of course. Oh, she's on her way now? Like now, now? Umm…yeah, yeah. I'll meet you at the hospital." Jackson dropped the phone from his ear with a deep sigh.

"Jackson, you just got back. You're going to the hospital now?" Catherine asked.

"Um yeah. Maggie's mother came back to town earlier than she had planned and I need to do a consult with her." He answered while staring out the window.

The hesitation in his voice told April that he wasn't quite sure how to answer his mother's question. It must seem odd that he would need to rush to the hospital to consult for a breast augmentation, but he apparently hadn't filled Catherine in on the real reason Maggie's mother had sought him out. April was actually surprised he had told her with all of the tension that had been between them lately, but late one night he confided in her just as he had a hundred times before.

 _April had just finished one of Harriet's middle of the night feedings and was quietly headed back to her room when a dim light shining from beneath Jackson's bedroom door caught her attention. She was surprised that he was awake. Shortly after April's incision healed, they had gotten in a good routine of switching off on Harriet's feedings. Jackson no longer got up every time to check on April. He only did that sometimes, and he always claimed that he wasn't checking up on April – he just missed Harriet – but each time he would ask April, "Do you need anything? Can I help with anything?" and April would thank him but assure him she was just fine. Sometimes he sat and talked to her while she fed Harriet. They didn't really talk about anything important during those late night feedings, mainly surgeries, plans for the next day, or how cute their baby girl was. And really it didn't matter if he was there for Harriet or April, either way she enjoyed the company. But lately, ever since the attendings were divided over this ridiculous Minnick/Webber competition, Jackson hadn't checked on her at all. So seeing his light on this time made April take notice and against her better judgement, she knocked on his door._

 _After a long silence, April decided to head back to bed. Just as she was turning toward her room, she heard the click of his door handle and the light from his room flooded the hallway. Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the brightness and when she focused on Jackson's face she could see stress in his eyes._

" _Do you need something?" His voice had that same annoyed tone he used so often with her recently._

" _I was going to ask you the same thing. Jackson, it's 2:00 am. What are you doing awake?"_

" _I'm working." Jackson ran his hand across his forehead and his brow creased with stress._

" _Working? What could you possibly be working on this late? Can't it wait? You have surgery in the morning, right? You are going to be exhausted." Confusion filled April's face. Jackson was a dedicated doctor, but choosing work over sleep was not like him. Whatever this surgery was, he must be really concerned about it. "Is there anything I can do to help?"_

" _Just go back to bed, April." Jackson snapped at her. But as he turned to walk back into his room, April saw the scans the were spread across his bed. There were numerous scans of breast tissue from multiple angles and varying degrees of magnification._

" _Jackson…" April whispered as she slowly walked through the door to his room and across the floor to his bed. "What are these? Is this… Diane Pierce isn't getting breast implants, is she?"_

 _Jackson sunk down on to the edge of his bed with a sigh._

 _April walked slowly around his bed picking up a scan and examining it for a few moments before setting it down and moving on to another. "How is Maggie handling all of this?" When Jackson didn't respond, April lowered the scan in her hand and met his gaze. "She doesn't know?"_

" _Diane is refusing to tell her. She keeps insisting that it will be better for Maggie to wait, insisting that she will tell Maggie when the time is right. I can't force her to tell her, and of course I can't say anything either. So I am stuck in this awkward mess of listening to Maggie complain about her mother's breast implants and listening to Diane justify her choices. And the whole time I am just thinking that this surgery has to go well. I have to pull this off because if I don't, I'll forever be the guy who couldn't save Maggie's mom." Jackson begins to stacking the scans together. "I don't know why I'm telling you any of this. I shouldn't have even said anything."_

 _April takes a few steps and closes the distance between her and Jackson and quietly says his name, "Jackson."_

 _Jackson continues to stack Diane's scans without acknowledging April standing at his side. After a pause, April lifts her hand and places it on Jackson's shoulder. "Jackson," she says again, a little louder this time._

 _Feeling April's hand on his shoulder causes Jackson to pause. He sets the scans in his hand down on his bed and looks up at her._

 _Her eyes are filled with kindness and comfort and a rush of guilt pulls at his stomach. He doesn't know how she manages to do that. He had been anything but kind to her lately, he knew that, but here she was, supporting him like none of the tension of the last few days had ever happened._

" _I know why you are worried. This is not a situation that anyone should be put in – operating on a friend's mother and keeping a secret about why. But Jackson, you are doing the right thing. Diane is your patient, and you are respecting her wishes. She said she chose you because you are the best, and she's right. You can do this. You might be doubting yourself, but I'm not. I know you can do this." April truly believed what she was saying. He could see her confidence in him reflected in her eyes._

 _Jackson reached up and grabbed April's hand that was still resting on his shoulder. He squeezed her hand lightly. "Thank you," he smiled up at her and her face brightened in response. For a few moments they remained there in silence with their eyes still on each other until Jackson finally spoke, "We really should get some sleep. Harriet will be up again before we know it."_

 _April let her hand fall from his shoulder and gave him one last reassuring smile before she walked from his room. His eyes followed her as she walked away from him and out the door and he resisted the urge to call out to her and ask her to stay._

Jackson asked the driver to drop him off at Grey-Sloan before taking April and Catherine home. He wanted some time to review Diane's files before he met with her again, and Maggie had said her flight would be landing any minute.

Their driver pulled up to the entrance of the hospital, and Jackson grabbed his work bag and stepped out of the car. Before walking away, he opened April's door and leaned into the backseat. "Thanks again, Mom."

Catherine waved a hand at him in dismissal. "Son, you know I will never turn down quality time with this baby girl. Stop thanking me! I loved every minute of it."

Jackson touched a hand to his sleeping daughter's forehead, careful not to wake her, before turning to April. "I'm sorry I have to go in when we just got back, but I will call you tonight when I get a chance. Hopefully I will be home before you leave for Chicago in the morning."

"I completely understand, Jackson. Don't be sorry."

Jackson reached up and brushed her hair from her face, smiled at her, and closed the door.

As Catherine and April watched him walk into the hospital, Catherine knowingly said, "You two seem to be getting a long much better. I take it things went well in Montana."

April blushed, "Things went very well."

Catherine smirked as she replied, "Well, whatever happened needs to happen more often because Jackson sure seems much happier."

"I couldn't agree more." April responded with a hint of laughter in her voice.

April had been sleeping for several hours when her phone vibrated against her night stand. The screen was lit up with a text message from Jackson.

Jackson – Are you sleeping?

April – I was, but that's okay. How's work? How are Diane and Maggie?

Jackson – A mess. Both of them, really, but I'd rather talk about that later. Where are you sleeping?

April – In my room…

Jackson – I thought maybe you'd be in my room.

April paused, unsure of what to say next. They hadn't had time to talk about what had happened in Montana. It's not that the thought of sleeping in his room hadn't crossed her mind, but she didn't want to assume that he wanted her there. She still wasn't completely sure what he wanted. I mean, obviously things between them had changed, but what did that mean?

Before she had a chance to ask him, her phone vibrated in her hand. He was calling her.

"Hello?" her voice was still full of sleep.

"You sound exhausted. Now I feel bad that I woke you." Jackson sounded apologetic, but she could hear in his voice that he was smiling as well.

"Me? Have you slept at all?" April asked.

"I got a few hours in an on call room earlier while Maggie got her mom settled in at their house. But I didn't call to talk about that. You didn't answer my text. You aren't going to sleep in my room?"

"Well, I didn't really know if you wanted me to. I mean, we haven't really talked, and I didn't want to just assume you wanted me to sleep in there now." April explained.

"Of course I do."

"You do?"

"Yes, I do. Well, it would be better if I was home to sleep in there, too, but still…"

"So you won't be home before I leave for Chicago tomorrow?"

Jackson sighed, "No. I need to go over the new information that Diane's oncologist in Hawaii sent over and that is going to take awhile. But you don't have to wait for me. You can move into my room whenever you want."

The idea of sharing a room with Jackson and sleeping in his bed again made April happier than she had been in a long time. "How about this? I will move into your room, and sleep in your bed, but I want to wait for you. Sleeping in there alone will just make me miss you more, so how about my first night back from Chicago? That will give us something to look forward to."

Jackson smiled, "That sounds like a good idea. And you in my bed again is definitely something to look forward to. You should get some sleep now. I know you have an early flight tomorrow."

April yawned, "Okay. Thanks for calling. And try not to stress too much about the surgery tomorrow. You'll be great."

"Thank you," Jackson replied, "And I can't wait to hear all about Chicago."


	2. Chapter 2

April shifted uncomfortably in her chair and looked up at the clock. Time was not moving. Up until this point, her visit to the Avery Trauma Center had been as impressive as she had imagined. The entire facility was equipped to treat multi-level trauma patients which meant there was a constant, heightened level of intensity and energy that April craved so much. Catherine had given her doctor's privileges so she was able to scrub in on a couple of surgeries and give the Chief of Trauma in the Emergency Room several pointers on how to make his ER run smoother and more efficiently. He seemed genuinely interested in her ideas and invited her to come by his office to discuss them more. But first, he suggested April sit in on a department meeting so she could get a better idea of how things were already operating. Department meetings at Grey-Sloan were generally quick and direct. Dr. Bailey valued her surgeons time and didn't want to waste any of it on things that could just as well be sent through an email. This Chief, Dr. Dotson, apparently had different views on the value of meetings. At around the forty-five-minute mark April found herself having a hard time keeping her eyes open, and she was grateful when she felt the familiar buzz of her phone in her pocket.

Her stomach fluttered briefly as she saw Jackson's name on the screen.

Jackson – Are you busy?

April – I am being slowly tortured in the world's worst dept. meeting. So no. Not busy. If I'm being honest I stopped listening on slide ten of his power point.

Jackson – Ugh…power point. That sounds rough. Who is running the meeting?

April – Dr. Jeff Dotson

Jackson- Oh, that guy. Yeah, he likes to hear himself talk. Sorry you got roped into that. Did my mom abandon you?

April – She's having lunch with some board members. So, you know him? I don't remember you coming out here.

Jackson – I haven't been there in years, but he and I went to medical school together. He always felt the need to compete with me and was so happy when he got a job at an Avery hospital and I went to Mercy West. Like, man, c'mon. I own that hospital. If I wanted to work there I would.

April – Oh, he's one of those? Great. He wants to meet with me to discuss my ideas. Sounds like he just wants to tell me why his are better. Fun.

Jackson – You're meeting with him? Is my mom going to be there too?

April – I don't know. Probably not. Why?

Jackson – No reason

"…and Dr. Kepner agrees with me. Right Dr. Kepner?" April looked up from her phone to find all eyes in the room fixed on her.

"I'm sorry. I had a message from someone at the hospital back in Seattle. Umm…what were we discussing?" She tried to hide the embarrassment in her voice.

"I was just telling my team that I think using a checklist for ER patients would make things more streamlined and efficient. Don't you agree?" Dr. Dotson smiled at April, but she returned his gaze with a confused one of her own. She had told him about the checklist she implemented at Grey-Sloan and how much improvement they had seen in their ER since she created it. Was he taking credit for her idea? She couldn't very well call him out in from of his own staff, but she planned to bring it up at the meeting.

"A checklist. Right. I think using a checklist in the ER is a great idea." April half smiled at him, grateful that her answer seemed to satisfy the others in the room and they turned their attention back to Dr. Dotson.

When the meeting finally ended, April quickly headed for the door to make her way to the cafeteria. She was in desperate need of caffeine and carbs.

"Dr. Kepner, hold on a moment!" She heard Dotson call out to her as she was just a few steps from the door. Crap, the meeting. She had forgotten about that. She turned around and saw that he had already made his way over to her. "Where are you running off to in such a hurry? I thought we had plans?"

"Right, of course. We're going to discuss the ER procedures. I haven't forgotten. I was just hoping to grab some coffee before I made my way to your office." She explained. "Meet you there in five minutes?"

Dr. Dotson ran his hand down the back of her arm from her shoulder to her elbow letting it linger for a moment before dropping it back to his side. "Looking forward to it," he replied, smiling.

 _Well, that makes one of us_ , April thought, and as she turned to walk out of the room she decided to take the long way to the cafeteria.

April's coffee was half empty by the time she stepped off the elevator on to the floor where Jeff Dotson's office was located. When he had first suggested meeting with her, she was excited about it, but now, something felt a little off. After he took credit for her checklist idea in the staff meeting, she knew that Jackson was definitely right about him. He placed a lot of value on getting recognition and coming out on top. That wasn't the type of person she wanted to spend her afternoon with, and she certainly didn't plan on offering him anymore helpful tips to improve his ER.

The door that read **Dr. Jeff Dotson, M.D.** , was closed when April found it. Standing outside, April debated whether to knock or skip the meeting altogether. After several seconds, she decided she didn't want to be rude at Jackson's family's hospital, so with a deep sigh, she knocked on the door.

Jeff opened the door and gestured for April to come in. "That was a long five minutes. Did you get lost?"

"Oh, um, yeah. I guess I did." April took a seat in the chair in front of his desk while Jeff sat on the edge of his desk directly in front of her. He looked down at her and scoffed, "April, this hospital is not that big. If you can't find your way around here, how do you ever find your way around an O.R.? Well, I guess you have nurses to help you then, huh?" He laughed to himself and April opened her mouth to reply, but before she could decide just what to say, Jeff continued talking. "So, you said someone from Seattle messaged you? Is Grey Sloan falling apart without you there?"

April couldn't decide if he was being intentionally condescending or if he thought he was charming. She tried her best to keep her thoughts out of her expression. "Uh, no. Jackson was just updating me on a patient's surgery."

"Jackson? Jackson Avery? I take it you two are close? I mean, of course you are. Catherine Avery doesn't give just anyone a personal tour of the Avery Trauma Center." Jeff was prying and she wasn't sure why. This meeting was supposed to be about making improvements in the ER, but so far it seemed to be more about her personal life.

She decided to try to steer the conversation back to work. "Yes, Jackson and I are very close, and I respect Catherine Avery very much. But I really wanted to talk to you about the emergency room. Do you have any data on how many patients you take in daily?"

Irritation flashed across Jeff's face, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll get the data later. So, you met Avery at Grey-Sloan? His mom, like, bought him the hospital or something, right? If you're so close to him why aren't _you_ Chief of Trauma? Or on the board?"

The conversation was making April uncomfortable, so she stood from her chair and took a step towards the door. "I'm sorry, Dr. Dotson, but I really need to go find Catherine. If you have a chance to get the data together, I would love to look at it for you. Maybe I can email you some ideas when I get back to Seattle. Thank you for meeting with me, but I really have to go."

Jeff rose from his spot on the edge of the desk and stepped closer to April. "Catherine is at lunch with the board members which basically means they will be out for the rest of the afternoon." As he spoke, he crossed the floor and closed the space between himself and April. She jumped a bit when he placed his hands on her waist and lowered his voice to say, "April, relax. We're just getting to know each other. We both know you came to my office for a reason."

"I'm sorry, Dr. Dotson, but I think you have the wrong idea. I'm not - "

"I think I have the exact right idea. I have met plenty of women like you. You have this sweet and innocent act but you attach yourself to the most powerful man in the room to get what you want. And it sounds like Jackson isn't giving it to you, so let me give it to you instead." His face was inches from hers and although April was trying to pull away from his grasp, his hands only tightened on her waist.

"Dr. Dotson, you need to let go of me _, now_. I don't know why you think I came here, but you're wrong. I – I – want to leave." April's voice faltered a bit.

"Is this what you do to Avery, too? You show up in his office and act like you aren't there for one reason only? Well, like I said, if he can't give it to you, I will." In one quick movement, he pushed her against the wall behind her and forced his mouth on to hers. She turned her face away from his while his hands roughly grabbed at her body in places only one other person had touched. "Stop! I said stop!" she pleaded with tears in her eyes. She pushed against his chest, attempting to break free from him, but it only seemed to encourage him more. His rough hands scratched at her stomach under her shirt now, and she began to pray that he would stop. He was bigger and stronger than her, and there was no way she could fight him off. She looked over to the office door and wanted nothing more than to find a way to get there, to the other side of the door, and as far away from this man as she could get.

In that instant, the door to Dr. Dotson's office swung open and a doctor ran in looking frantic. "Jeff, what the hell? I've been paging you. We have a bus crash on the freeway and the ER is filling up –"

April didn't wait to hear the rest. She quickly stepped around Dotson, grabbed her bag, and ran from the room without looking back.


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter has been the most difficult to write so far because there were so many directions I could take the story. In the end I tried to stay true to how I thought the characters would react. Let me know what you think!**

 **Chapter 3**

Her heart was still racing as she closed her hotel door behind her and slumped against it. Her brain couldn't settle on an emotion. She was angry. What the hell was that?! What made him think he had the right to say those things to her, touch her, assume she wanted him to? And she was worried, embarrassed. Had she given him some sort of sign that she had wanted him to touch her? Because of course she didn't want that. No, she had kept everything completely professional. She was sure of it. Why did he think she wanted any of that to happen? She didn't. She didn't want him touching her like he had a right to her body. She shivered as she remembered his forceful hands grabbing at her and pushing at her clothes. She needed to shower. Maybe she could wash the feeling of him off of her even if she couldn't erase it from her mind. She dropped her clothes on the bathroom floor, twisted the lever to release the water, stepped into the shower, and finally let her tears fall.

She stayed in the shower until the water ran cold. Standing in front of the mirror while she dressed, she was struck by how red and puffy the eyes looking back at her were. At least she didn't have to see anyone for the rest of the night. She planned to put on her favorite pajamas and order room service. But first she needed to call Jackson. More than anything she wished he were in Chicago with her. He always made her feel safe and she desperately needed that now.

April dug her phone out of her bag and saw that the screen was already lit up with a message.

Catherine – April, honey, Dr. Dotson told me you left early because you weren't feeling well. Are you sick? Is there anything I can do?

Dotson told her she wasn't feeling well? Yeah. That's an understatement. She hesitated before typing her response but ultimately decided this wasn't something to tell Catherine over text message.

April – I'm feeling much better now. Probably just exhaustion from all this traveling. Thanks for checking on me.

Catherine – Oh good! I wouldn't want you to miss Hamilton tonight. Remember our dinner reservation is at five. Be in the lobby by four-thirty, and our car will be there to pick you up. I'll meet you at the restaurant.

Oh no. Hamilton. She had completely forgotten about Catherine getting tickets for the play. There was no way she could back out of this. Those tickets must have cost a fortune. And honestly, April _was_ dying to see it. But now this experience, her whole trip to the Avery Trauma Center really, was tainted by everything that had happened in Dotson's office. Damn him. She decided she was going to try her best not to let him ruin anything else for her. He didn't deserve that kind of power.

April – Four-thirty. Got it. Can't wait!

Catherine – Yes! Bring all your excitement and energy cause we are gonna have a fun girl's night!

The time on her phone read 3:00. That gave her just enough time to call Jackson, get ready for the night, and make it to the lobby in time to meet the Avery's driver. She quickly found his name at the top of her recent calls list, but paused before pressing the button. For some reason, she was nervous thinking about telling him what happened with Dotson. _Stop it_ , she told herself. _It's Jackson. You can tell him anything._ She pressed his name to make the call and lifted the phone to her ear. After five rings she was debating whether she should leave a voicemail or send him a text message, but just as she was about to hang up, the call was answered.

"Dr. Avery's phone."

April recognized the female voice as one of the scrub nurses from Grey-Sloan. He must still be in surgery.

"HI, this is Dr. Kepner. Is Dr. Avery available?"

"He's in surgery. He wanted me to ask if he could call you back."

April sighed into the phone. She had really been looking forward to hearing his voice. The timing could not be worse, but she understood. "Of course. Just tell him to call me when he has time."

"Did you want me to give him a message for you?"

"Just ask him to call me please. That's all. Thanks." April hung up the phone and tossed it on to the bed. There was little chance she would hear from him before she left to meet Catherine.

Spending the evening with Catherine turned out to be a welcome distraction. She was able to avoid telling Catherine much about her day by giving short, vague answers and steering the conversation to cute stories about Harriet or Catherine's plans for an expansion on the Trauma Center. For once, April was thankful that Catherine liked to control conversations. It's not that she didn't plan to tell Catherine eventually, she did. But she and Catherine had just started rebuilding their relationship. She didn't want Catherine to be disappointed in her or even worse, think that she might have welcomed Dotson's behavior. Catherine was nice enough to bring April all the way to Chicago to the Avery Trauma Center, and now April had to figure out how to tell her that her Chief of Trauma had assaulted her.

"Jackson's still in surgery?" Catherine's question pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Um, I'm sorry, what?"

"You have checked your phone at least fifty times since we sat down. I assume you are waiting on his call?" Catherine had that knowing look on her face that she so often used when she was sure she was right about something.

April blushed and smiled, "Oh, yeah. I am waiting to hear from him. I just really need – I mean, um, I want to know how his surgery went. He was operating on Diane Pierce today, and I know he was a little worried about it. I called earlier, but the operation was taking longer than he expected."

"That is not a good sign."

"I know."

April jumped a bit when her phone rang in her hand. Jackson's name showed up on the screen, and she felt all the tension she had been feeling from the day leave her body.

"Why don't you take that outside?" Catherine smiled at her. "I'll take care of the check and meet you at the car in five minutes. Hurry though. We have to get to the theater. The play starts in twenty minutes, and I did not wait all this time for Hamilton tickets only to miss the opening song."

April nodded to Catherine as she answered the phone and stood up from the table to walk outside.

"Hello?"

Jackson sighed into the phone. "Hey. You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice." She could hear exhaustion in his.

"Actually I have some idea. All I have wanted all day is to hear _your_ voice. You sound tired. Did Diane's surgery end up taking longer than expected? Were there complications?"

"Yeah. The tumor metastasized. Once we got in there it had spread so much we couldn't even get it all. There are mets in her liver, and – it doesn't look good. And Maggie, she's just pushing everyone to figure out some way to help her mom. Which I get but, I don't know. I don't know if there is a way at this point. It's a mess, April. She even fired Meredith from the case. I want to help her, but I just don't know what to do at this point." He wasn't looking for a response really, and April knew that. He just needed someone to listen, but so did she. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Catherine waving her over from the car, and she knew she didn't have time to tell Jackson everything she needed to. "I want to hear all about your day, though. Did you like the Trauma Center? Did you see any good cases? How was your meeting with Dotson?" Jackson laughed to himself. "Did he spend the whole thing telling you how great he is?"

"Actually, um, I wanted to talk to you about that."

"About your meeting? Why? What's up?"

April didn't realize that Catherine had made her way over to where she was standing until she heard her voice. "April Kepner, if you make me late for Hamilton…" She got closer to yell into the phone. "Jackson Avery, we have a play to get to! She can call you back! Look at the two of you acting like it hasn't only been a day since you saw each other. Montana must have been some kind of place…" She headed back to the car laughing to herself.

"You better go before my mother leaves you there. Just call me when you get back to your hotel, okay?"

"It will probably be late, Jackson. I don't want to wake you."

Jackson heard the sadness in her response, and he realized that she really needed to talk to him. His response was just above a whisper. "April. Wake me. I want to hear whatever you need to tell me, okay? It doesn't matter how late it is, just call."

April smiled to herself at his response. He always knew just what she needed. "Thank you, Jackson. And I know this sounds silly, because I just saw you yesterday, but I really missed you today."

Jackson was a little surprised to hear her say that she missed him. It had been so long since they had said that to each other, but it was true. He missed her and not just today. He had missed her for much longer than that. "It doesn't sound silly at all. I missed you, too. Have fun at the play. I'll have my phone right next to the bed, okay? Call me."

"I will. I promise. Bye Jackson."

"Bye April."

It was close to midnight when April made it back to her hotel room. She kicked off her heels, climbed on to the bed, and leaned back against the pillows. She felt the weight of the day leave her shoulders and realized that this is the first time she had really relaxed all day. Jackson's name was at the top of her call list, and she pushed the button to video call him. After the day she had, she wanted to see his face.

The call connected and Jackson popped on to the screen. She could barely see him because all the lights were out in his room but she could tell that his eyes were still closed. She had woken him.

"Oh, Jackson, I'm so sorry I woke you up. I feel awful."

"No, no, it's fine. I'm up. I'm awake." Jackson opened one eye and tried to focus on April's face on his screen. After a second, he opened both eyes and lifted his head from the pillow. He leaned over and switched on his lamp. "Wow, you look amazing. Is that the black dress? The one you wore the night of that hospital Christmas party? You know, when we snuck off to –" Jackson stopped himself when he saw the blush on April's cheeks. Maybe this isn't something he should be bringing up. He cleared his throat. "Um, how was the play?"

"The play was amazing. You really have to see it, Jackson. You would love it."

"Well, not all of us got invited." He teased her. "Anyway, what did you want to talk to me about? You said it was about your meeting?"

The color left April's cheeks and she dropped her eyes. "Yeah." She whispered.

"Hey." Jackson said softly. "What happened?"

Jackson waited a few moments for her response and started to ask her again when he saw a tear fall down her cheek. "April? Talk to me. You're making me worried here. Did my mom do something? Did she say something to you?"

April quickly looked up and met his gaze. "No! No. Not at all. Your mom has been great."

"Then what is it? Talk to me."

April took a deep breath, paused, and began. "I went to my meeting. You know, um, with Dotson. I almost didn't go. I could already tell you were totally right about him. I mean, he took credit for my checklist idea during the staff meeting and just, he just, I don't know, he was so condescending. He made some stupid remark about me getting lost in the OR and needing a nurse to show me around."

Jackson's narrowed his eyes as he wondered where this was going.

"But I didn't want to make a bad impression, you know. This is your family's hospital, and I am a guest, and I didn't want to make your mother look bad, so of course I went." April's voice began to shake.

"He told me he wanted to talk about the ER, but he didn't. He just kept talking about you. He seemed almost angry that I am close to you and your family. I kept trying to change the subject, to talk about the ER, but he only wanted to talk about you. So, I decided to leave…but…he wouldn't let me."

Jackson felt his heart beat faster as he began to understand what she was telling him. "What do you mean he wouldn't let you?"

Tears were streaming down April's face now and Jackson repeated his question more urgently, "April? What did he do?"

"He grabbed me. He pushed me against the wall, and I couldn't get away. I tried, Jackson, I did. I didn't want him to touch me. You have to believe me. I tried to push him off, but I wasn't strong enough. And his hands…were everywhere. He was touching me, and kissing me, and tearing at my clothes. And the whole time he was saying things about you. How I liked men who were powerful and that he could give me what you couldn't. Jackson, I promise I didn't want him to touch me. I didn't want any of it." April was sobbing now and couldn't get out any more words.

Jackson stared at her through the phone with intense, angry eyes, but he didn't speak. The only sound between the two of them were April's sobs.

Finally, Jackson spoke. "April, did he…?"

It took a moment for April to understand what he was asking. "No! No, he didn't. Um…another doctor came in before anything like that could happen. Thank God. But Jackson, if that doctor hadn't come in…I don't know…I don't want to think about that." She wiped the tears from her eyes and then rubbed at the black smudges of mascara that were left on the sides of her hands. She noticed that Jackson wasn't saying anything. His face was still full of anger, and she realized maybe this was too much. "Jackson, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to throw all of this at you. I know you already have a lot going on with Diane's surgery. I should've just dealt with this myself."

"Do _not_ apologize, April. Of course this isn't your fault. Do not think for one second that you did anything to provoke this. I believe you. I believe every word of it. Damnit. I knew that guy was an ass, but I didn't know it was this bad" Jackson ran his hand over his head and took a death breath. "And I'm glad you told me. This isn't something you should have to deal with on your own. I'm just thinking of how _I_ want to deal with this. It's probably a good thing I'm not there because my first instinct is that I want to kill him. What did my mother say when you told her?"

"I haven't told her yet."

"What? Why? April, she could have dealt with it right away. Today. Why didn't you tell her?"

"When I ran out of his office all I could think about was getting as far away from that hospital as possible. I came back here and stood in the shower until I felt like I had washed the feeling of his hands off of me. And then she reminded me we were supposed to go to dinner and see the play, and I just didn't want to ruin her evening. And I know, it sounds stupid, but your mom just started being nice to me again. I didn't want to disappoint her. I didn't want her to think she brought me all the way to Chicago and I turned it into a mess. I just needed you. I wish you were here, Jackson."

"Me, too. Look, how about this. I will talk to my mom, tell her what happened, and her and I will come up with a plan to deal with Dotson. You don't have to worry about him anymore, okay? I promise. I will make sure of that." Jackson's expression was still serious, but his eyes had softened.

"How do you do that?" she asked him.

"Do what?"

"How do you manage to know exactly how to make me feel better?"

Jackson's smile lit up his face. "It's a talent, I guess. Just kidding. You know you do the same thing for me."

April yawned and let her held fall to the side and rest on her pillow.

"You must be exhausted. Why don't you try and get some sleep? We can talk more tomorrow." Jackson suggested.

"I am tired." April smiled at him sleepily. "I would sleep better if you were here, though."

"I know. Me, too. Soon enough, though, you'll be home and we can sleep next to each other every night."

"Every night?" April asked.

"Every night." He replied. "Sweet dreams."

"Good-night, Jackson."

"Good-night, April."

The sun streaming through the curtains woke April the next morning. Because they had such a late night, Catherine hadn't scheduled them to be at the Avery Trauma Center until early afternoon. That was just fine with April. She was dreading going back there anyway. She stretched her arms above her head and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She thought about her conversation with Jackson the night before and decided it would be better if she told Catherine herself before they got to the hospital. Jackson had said he would tell her, but Catherine would notice something was off if April had to be anywhere near Dotson. It was still early and April didn't want to wake Catherine, so she ordered breakfast from room service and scrolled through photos of Harriet on her phone while she waited for it to arrive.

Barely five minutes had passed before there was a knock at her door.

"Wow. That may be the fastest room service ever." April said to herself. She set her phone on the night stand and quickly walked to the door. She hadn't realized just how hungry she was until now. She undid the chain lock and swung open the door. April gasped in surprise.

"Jackson?! What are you doing here?" He didn't have a chance to answer as April ran to him and practically leapt into his arms. They stood in the hallway, holding on to each other for as long as they both needed. Eventually, April pulled back and smiled up at him. "No really. What are you doing here?! I mean, I'm so happy to see you, but just, shocked, I guess - " April's rambling was cut short when Jackson tilted her face up to meet his and gently kissed her.

"You said you needed me, right? So, here I am."


	4. Chapter 4

**So since the show is making us wait for Japril's story, I am just going to keep creating one in my head and sharing it with you all. When I first started this story I didn't plan for it to be so angsty, but it's Japril, so maybe I should have seen that coming. I do have some plans for less angst and more love later, but the angst always comes first, right? So, stay with me if you can! Anyway, here is chapter four. Let me know what you think, and thanks for all of the wonderful feedback so far!**

 **Chapter 4**

April wrapped her arms around Jackson's waist and smiled up at him. She couldn't believe that he was in Chicago. He must have left Seattle right after they got off the phone.

"How did you even get here? Were you flying all night? Wait. Where is our daughter?!" April's expression changed from adoring to frantic.

Jackson laughed quietly. "Harriet is with Ben and Bailey. Well, technically she is in the hospital daycare right now, but Bailey is picking her up and taking her home after her shift. I felt bad asking them at the last minute, but they actually seemed pretty excited to watch her."

April was happy to hear that Harriet was in good hands, but that still didn't answer all of her questions. "Okay, so how did you get here so fast? There is no way you were able to get a straight flight out of Seattle to Chicago at the last minute."

"April. Have you forgotten? I have my own plane. You just rode on it. I guess you weren't that impressed with it after all." Jackson reminded her.

 _She didn't know how she could have forgotten about the Avery's plane. She had been so impressed when they took it to Montana – the reclining, leather seats, the stewardess offering them champagne, and the food. The food was probably the best part. On second thought, no. The best part had been the trip home. Montana had been exhausting for both of them. Physically and emotionally exhausting. They sat together on the long, plush couch after boarding the plane and recounted the details of Caroline's surgery. Neither of them could really believe they had pulled off creating a valve for her out of her own appendix. This was a surgery they would both remember forever. It wasn't long before their conversation slowed, however, and they sat in comfortable silence allowing the tiredness to take over. April's head slowly fell to the right and rested on Jackson's shoulder. For a moment, they stayed just like that, their bodies relaxing and their minds drifting off. Then April realized she was leaning on him and sat up quickly. Her movements brought him back to reality as well. "Sorry." She said avoiding eye contact. "I didn't mean to do that. I mean – I don't know if we…" She began to scoot away from him when she felt his hand against her thigh. She turned to look at him and saw he was looking back at her with that smile that made his eyes light up – that smile that was only for her. "Don't be sorry." He held his hand out to her. "Come here." She took his hand as he laid back on the couch pulling her down next to him. Her head was resting on his chest and his hand was absentmindedly tracing the outside of her arm. Jackson sighed contentedly, "I sleep much better like this anyway." Within moments sleep overtook them both and they didn't wake again until their plane began its descent into Seattle._

April opened her mouth to respond that she had certainly not forgotten the plane, but before she could do so, the door next to hers opened and Catherine stepped in to the hallway.

"Jackson! I thought I heard your voice! Baby, what are you doing here?!" Catherine hugged her son and looked from Jackson to April. "Did you know about this, April? Did he tell you he was coming?"

"Nope. I was just as surprised as you are."

Catherine caressed Jackson's cheek and smiled, "Well, I think it's wonderful. It has been too long since you have been to the Avery Trauma Center. You can go with us to the hospital this afternoon. Has April already told you all about her first day?"

His eyes darkened a bit and he cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, she did. That's actually why I'm here."

Catherine looked puzzled, "Oh? I don't understand."

"Mom…we need to talk."

Catherine, April, and Jackson sat together in the small living room area of April's hotel room. Telling Catherine about her assault proved no easier than telling Jackson. Explaining the details of what happened in Dotson's office forced April to relive the events again in her mind. She could almost feel his hands on her body, holding her in place, grabbing her without permission. She hadn't even realized she was crying again until she looked down at her hand in Jackson's and noticed their hands were blurry through her tears. Catherine listened silently to everything April needed to tell her. When April stopped speaking, a quiet stillness filled the room as each of them tried to process what had happened and what to do next.

Without a word to Jackson or April, Catherine pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed a number. Catherine crossed to the window and stood looking out over the city while she waited for her call to be answered.

April couldn't read Catherine's expression. "Who is she calling?" She whispered to Jackson.

"I don't know…Mom? Who are you calling?" Jackson called over to Catherine.

Catherine turned from the window to face Jackson and April and spoke into the phone, "Susan, it's Catherine Avery. I need Johnathan Griffin on the phone. Now."

April saw a small smile cross Jackson's face, but she didn't understand why. "Who is that? Who is Johnathan Griffin?"

"Johnathan Griffin is one of our attorneys. It looks like my mother has a plan."

Two hours later Jackson, April, and Catherine were standing outside the Avery Trauma Center waiting for Johnathan to meet them. During the ride from the hotel to the hospital, April had grown increasingly anxious about the idea of seeing Dotson again. She knew that Jackson wouldn't let anything happen to her, but he couldn't change what had already happened. And the thought of facing Jeff Dotson created a nauseas feeling in her that she was unable to ignore.

"I don't think I can do this." April blurted out.

Jackson and Catherine, who had been scanning the parking lot for their lawyer's car, both turned to look at her.

"Do what, honey?" Catherine asked.

"I – I can't…I don't want to see him." April quietly admitted.

Jackson stepped toward April and wrapped her in his arms. She laid her head against his chest and closed her eyes, grateful for his strength. She would need it today to get through this.

"You won't. I placed a call and Dotson's presence was suddenly required at the medical conference being held downtown today. He won't be in at all today. You don't need to worry about a thing. Besides, I wanted to make sure I have plenty of time to review all of his administrative records and take my time looking through his office. Men like him, April…there's a good chance you aren't the first woman he has assaulted. And we need to know if there is _any_ evidence of that before we move forward." Catherine reassured her.

"Maybe there are cameras in his office?" April thought if they could see for themselves what had happened that would be all the evidence they would need.

"Unfortunately, there aren't. Just in the hallways. We can view you entering and leaving his office, and although I am sure you look quite upset leaving, that doesn't prove anything." Catherine rubbed April's arm and turned back to the parking lot as a black sedan pulled up to the curb. "There he is." Catherine stepped toward the car to meet their lawyer.

April leaned her head back to look up at Jackson. "Thank you."

"For what?" he asked.

"I don't know if I could do this without you here."

"You could, April. You are a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for. But you don't need to. I am right here, and I'm not going anywhere." He bent down to rest his forehead against hers and whispered, "ever."

They spent the better part of the morning combing through Dotson's personnel files. In the ten years he had worked at the hospital, seven women had filed complaints against him for either sexual harassment, intimidation, or discrimination. The reports were full of stories of Dotson abusing his power but none of them were quite as severe as April's. Their lawyer photocopied all of the reports and advised April to write a statement detailing her assault. He assured them that all of the evidence combined would be more than enough to create a case against Dotson.

Jackson tossed one of the files he had been reading on to the desk. "How has he gotten away with this for so long?" How is he still working here? He has seven complaints in his file – seven! Why the hell hasn't anyone addressed this before now? If someone had done their damn job, he never would have been anywhere near April!"

"Oh, believe me, Jackson. I will find out. I will not allow any of our employees to overlook matters that are this serious. They will be dealt with as well." Catherine assured him.

Their lawyer gathered all the files together and put them in his briefcase. "Dr. Kepner, if you could go ahead and write down your account of what transpired yesterday then I can begin preparing our case."

"Sure." April replied.

"April, why don't you write up your statement in here while we go see if there is anything we can use in Dotson's office. This room isn't scheduled to be used for any meetings today, so you should have plenty of privacy." Catherine suggested.

The last thing April wanted to do was to step foot in Dotson's office ever again. She was grateful to Catherine for understanding that without her having to say anything. "That would be great. Thank you."

She picked up a yellow notepad and pen from the table and sat down in one of the oversized, brown, leather chairs. Catherine led their attorney out of the room to Dotson's office. Before following them, Jackson knelt down next to April's chair. "You gonna be okay here alone for a little bit? It shouldn't take long to check out his office."

"Of course," April smiled. "I'll be fine. Go."

"Okay, I'll be back in a few minutes." Jackson kissed her softly on the forehead and left the room.

The silence was strangely nice. April hadn't had much time to herself since she ran from Dotson's office the day before. She hadn't really been able to process any of it. And as much as she didn't want to relive the details one more time, the idea of putting it all on paper seemed somewhat cathartic. Once it was on paper, it wouldn't just exist in her mind. It would be concrete, tangible in a way. Her words would have more power and maybe Dotson would have less.

Once she began writing the words flowed easily. She described arriving at the Avery Trauma Center and meeting Dotson and his ER team. She included the surgeries she scrubbed-in for and the painful staff meeting she sat through. She didn't leave out any detail. His subtle, misogynistic jokes. His touches that sent shivers up her spine. His angry jealousy of Jackson. Her fear.

Her pen moved quickly across the paper without pause. She needed to get this story out, to make sure it was heard, so he couldn't do this to another woman. She wasn't quite finished when the office door opened and she knew the others had returned.

"I'm sorry." She said with her eyes focused on her page. "I'm not quite finished. I just need another minute."

The door slammed closed behind her, startling her, and the pen made a stray mark across the page as she jumped. She was struck by a sudden wave of lightheadedness as she turned her chair toward the door. The pen she was holding fell to the floor and rolled under the table.

Her mind willed her body to react, to move, but she couldn't. She stayed frozen in her chair as Jeff Dotson walked closer to look down at her with a smirk. "Hello, April."


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, everyone, here is Chapter 5. I rewrote this chapter at least three times. I wanted to try to balance the angst and happiness, and I think this is the best version of the three. Just know there is a very dark and twisty version of this chapter saved on my computer that I may pull out for a later fanfic. But because of the lack of Japril on our screens, I decided not to go that dark. Thank you all so much for reading, and as always, please let me know what you think!**

 **Chapter 5**

The room felt much smaller with Dotson in it, as if it had shrank and there was nowhere for her to move that wouldn't feel too close to him. April wills herself to stand up. "What - What are you doing here? You aren't supposed to be here," she focuses on keeping her voice calm and steady. She couldn't let him know she was afraid. He wanted to feel powerful and she wouldn't give that to him.

Dotson chuckles smugly, "Not supposed to be here? I work here. Besides, we never got the chance to finish our meeting. We were just getting to the good stuff."

He doesn't know, April realizes. He has no idea that Jackson and Catherine are ransacking his office right at this moment. If he did, he would be angry. But no, he is just as creepy and arrogant as the day before.

"I have nothing else to say to you." With a deep breath, April heads for the door. Dotson is directly in her path, however, and as she goes to step around him, he grabs her wrist and yanks her back.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" His face is so close to hers and she can feel the anger radiating from it.

"Let go of me." She pushes her fear down, tries to control it. The pain in her wrist is making that difficult, but she refuses to let him win.

His grip on her wrist tightens. She tries to pull free but can't. She starts to feel panic rising in her stomach but the feeling subsides when the door opens and Jackson, Catherine, and their lawyer step inside.

Dotson immediately releases his grasp on April's arm and steps back from her. Dotson turns towards Jackson, holding up his hands as if to calm him, "Listen, Avery, this is not -"

"You son of a bitch..." Jackson has no interest in hearing anything he has to say and quickly crosses the room grabbing Dotson by the collar and slamming him against the wall.

"Dr. Avery, don't!" The Avery's lawyer calls out to Jackson. "If you assault him, that could damage April's case. Do not hit him! Let him go!"

Jackson doesn't loosen his grip on Dotson, and the doctor braces himself for the inevitable pain, but it doesn't come. The room is still for a moment until Jackson speaks, "Call the police. Now. Because the longer I have to see his face, the more likely I am to kill him." Their lawyer pulls out his phone and steps in to the hallway as Jackson continues, his tone softening, "April, are you okay?"

"I am now."

The rest of the afternoon is a blur. April recounts the events of the past two days to the police while Dotson is handcuffed and escorted from the room by police. Catherine is on the phone with board members, giving out orders on how to deal with the fallout. Each of them give their official statements to the police, and finally, they are free to leave. Catherine tells Jackson and April to go ahead without her as she has more phone calls to make and April needs to rest. Jackson begins to offer to stay and help, but one look at April changes his mind. She is upset and exhausted. He reaches out his hand to her, and when she takes it, he pulls her in to his chest and wraps his arms around her. He leans down, pressing his face into her hair.

"Your mom's right. Can we leave?"

"Of course. Let's go."

The car ride back to the hotel is silent, each of them fully feeling the exhaustion of the past two days. Jackson simply holds her hand and that is enough for the moment.

They step off the elevator and on to the floor of April's hotel room. She digs through her purse and finds the key card to her room. Before opening her door, she turns to Jackson.

"Um...do you want to come in? I mean, you don't have to. If you just want to go to your room and get some sleep I totally understand." April isn't sure exactly how to say what she wants. She wants him to stay. He makes her feel safe and warm and like everything is going to be just fine, and she really needs that right now. But she doesn't want to pressure him. He spent the entire day helping her already and maybe he needs a break from that.

"Well, that might be a problem because I don't have a room." Jackson smiles when April looks up at him confused. "When I got here this morning, I just wanted to see you, so I came straight here."

"Oh."

"But I can always go get one. If that would make you more comfortable..." he trails off waiting for her to decide. After Montana, he assumed he and April would be repairing their relationship, but maybe this trip to Chicago had changed that. He couldn't ever fully understand what April has been through, so if she needed space he could give that to her. Reluctantly, but he could.

April paused for only a moment before answering him. "I want you to stay."

Jackson paces the lobby, waiting for the Chinese food he ordered. Why was the driver taking so long? April said she was going to take a shower while he grabbed the food, but he hated to leave her alone for too long. She was strong, but this had shaken her. When they first got to their room he had wanted to talk to her, comfort her, but he wasn't sure where to begin or if she even wanted to talk, so he didn't push. He decided to give her some space and time to herself and since they both love Chinese food, that was the perfect excuse.

The driver finally arrives, apologizing for getting lost, and Jackson heads back to the room. April changed into her pajamas and is curled up under a blanket on the bed, clearly lost in thought. Jackson isn't even sure she was aware he came back in the room.

Trying not to startle her, he gently says her name, "April?"

He can't tell if she hears him.

"April? Are you hungry? Do you want to eat before the food gets cold?"

He sets the food on the table and walks to the bed sitting down in front of her. She keeps her head down, tracing the stitching on the blanket with her fingers. He strokes her cheek with his hand and lifts her chin until she meets his eyes. "Hey." He whispers.

He sees the tears in her eyes that are waiting to fall. "Hey. He's gone. He's going to prison. Our lawyer will make sure of it." She nods but doesn't respond. "You're safe. You know that right?"

She scoffs and shakes her head. "That's just it, Jackson. I'm not scared or worried. I'm angry."

"You're angry?"

"You know, I was so excited about coming here, touring the Avery Trauma Center, learning from the doctors there…and now? Now the only thing I will remember from this trip is being trapped in that office with him. He ruined this experience for me. He saw something he wanted and had to have it. He wouldn't take no for an answer. And why? Because he needed to feel powerful? Because he's jealous of you? Because he felt threatened by me? God, Jackson, why do some men think they can do things like this? I mean, should I have seen this coming? I keep replaying the whole thing over in my mind thinking, maybe there was a sign, if I just hadn't gone to his office...I had a bad feeling, I should have listened to my gut. But no, I was worried about being rude. Seems pretty stupid now…" The stitching on the blanket has come undone now and she winds the string around her finger while she talks.

"April, this is not your fault. You know that right?" April nods, but he is not sure she actually believes him. "Dotson had a stack of complaints in his personnel file. If it wasn't you, it would have been someone else. You did nothing wrong."

She stops winding the string to wipe the tears from her face. "Then why do I feel like I did?"

"No, April. No, no, no. Do not, for one second, think that you did something wrong. You stopped him. Because of you, he is sitting in a jail cell right now and he won't be able to hurt anyone else. You did everything right." Jackson moves to sit next to her and pulls her to him. He holds her, rocking her gently back and forth, for as long as she needs.

April sits up suddenly, pushing away from him, "Oh my gosh, the food! Jackson, I'm so sorry! It's probably cold by now."

Jackson shrugs, "Don't be sorry. You know me, I'm not turning away food, even if it is cold."

While they eat, they Facetime Harriet, Ben, and Bailey to check in. Jackson gets an update from Bailey on Diane's clinical trial, and Ben assures April that the residents haven't destroyed her ER.

"I miss her." April says as she clears the remnants of their dinner from the table.

"She misses you, too. I can tell." Jackson calls from the bathroom. He decided to change his clothes and get ready for the night in there so April didn't feel as if he were pressuring her for anything.

April laughs quietly, "What do you mean you can tell? She's a baby. She makes like five noises over and over again."

"She follows you with her eyes when you walk into a room. She was doing the same thing tonight. Even when I feed her in the middle of the night she keeps looking to the door waiting for you to come in. She loves her mom."

"So, what you're saying is, I'm her favorite?" April asks teasingly as Jackson emerges from the bathroom.

"I wouldn't go that far." He says smiling, "She probably just loves to eat. And we both know who she got that from."

They both laugh and make their way to the bed. April hesitates for a moment and then sits down on the side opposite Jackson. Sensing her hesitation, he says, "I can sleep on the couch if you want. I know this is all kind of new again, and then, after what you've been through – I just – you know I'm not expecting anything, right?"

"Please don't sleep on the couch. I want you here, next to me. I trust you more than anyone. And besides, if you sleep on the couch, I would probably just end up coming over there to lie next to you, and that couch is not big enough for the both of us."

Jackson laughs at the thought of them trying to squeeze on to the tiny, hotel couch. He is happy to hear her joking again, to see her smiling again. He reaches up to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. "Good. I know we talked on the phone the other night about you moving in to my room at home. I just wasn't sure if you still wanted that. If you need more time or anything, I can give you that. I want to do this right this time."

April looks a bit unsure as she asks, "Do what right, exactly?"

"This. Us. Everything. April, I've been fighting it ever since I signed those papers, but I can't anymore. And I don't want to. I have never stopped loving you and Montana showed me why. I've been awful to you lately - snapping at you, not supporting you at work – all because I was stressing about dealing with my dad. And you stayed by my side the whole time. You knew exactly what I needed even when I didn't. If you weren't there I don't know if I would have even had the courage to confront him. And Caroline – God – I don't even want to think how that would have turned out. You were my rock. And I want to be that for you, too, for this if you need it, for everything. I want us to try again." She gasps at hearing him say those words, and her hazel eyes are wide with shock. He needs to know for sure, though. He needs to hear her answer. So, he takes a deep breath and asks, "Is that what you want, too?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Alright, here is chapter six. Sorry this one took a bit longer to post. I was traveling for the holiday so I didn't have a lot of writing time. It's a bit shorter than the others, but like I keep saying, this is my first fanfic, so I wasn't exactly sure what all I wanted to include in this part. I love reading your reviews, and I hope you like this chapter! Thanks for reading!**

Chapter 6

Her expression is unreadable. He waits what feels like an eternity for her to say something, anything.

Finally, she does. "What?"

"You want me to ask again?" He laughs. "Cause I will. I'll ask over and over again. You and me. April, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And I know that we messed things up the first time, but I also know we can get it right this time. Look at everything we have been through, and yet, here we are." He reaches out and takes her hands in his. "I can't imagine my life without you, April. And I don't want to. I want us together. You, me, Harriett. I want our family."

"Jackson, are you sure? I mean, we're divorced…this isn't…you didn't want me. What if you change your mind again? I don't want to confuse Harriet, and things are working well how they are now."

After hearing her response, Jackson lets go of her hands. That isn't what he expected to hear, "Are you saying no?"

"Of course not! I'm mean no! I mean, I'm not saying no. The only thing I want, the only thing I think I have ever wanted is to be with you. I just want you to be sure. I don't want you to feel like you have to do this because of Harriet or anything. That's what I was trying to avoid actually. I just – what I'm trying to say is, I want you to be happy. Do you think you will be happy with me again?" April wanted Jackson to know that she didn't expect anything from him just because they share a child or because of what happened in Montana. Of course, it had meant something to her, but she didn't expect him to feel the same.

"April." Jackson says, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "I am only happy with you."

April's entire face lights up with her smile, "Really?"

"Really." He whispers, and his lips find hers, gently at first, and then with more need as they realize there are no more reasons to hold back. They can be honest with each other in every way.

Jackson's hands move from her face to her waist to find the bottom of her shirt. He slides his hands underneath, and he sighs when he feels the warmth of her skin. He wants to be closer to her and grabs for the bottom of her shirt again. He pulls up to take it off but stops when he feels April pushing back against his hands. Gasping, she breaks away from his kiss. She tries to catch her breath for a moment before looking up at him to say, "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry." He can't believe he forgot. He had been so happy that she wanted to try again that he got caught up in the moment. He completely forgot about Dotson and everything she had been through the last two days. "April, I am so sorry. I wasn't thinking. I should have thought – God – I feel like such a jerk. April, we do not have to do anything you are not comfortable with. You know that, right? I don't want you to feel pressured to do anything, okay?"

April scoots closer to Jackson, locking her hands behind his neck. "Please don't be sorry, Jackson. I'm fine. I just – I just needed a minute. And you aren't pressuring me to do anything. I trust you completely. You aren't him, and I know that. I mean, for a second I was back there…but no. I'm not giving him that power. He already ruined my memories of my trip to the Avery Trauma Center, but I refuse to let him in our relationship, too. I love you, and I trust you, and I want this."

"You want this?"

"More than anything."

Jackson's mouth finds hers again as April reaches down and removes her shirt on her own. She takes his hands and places them back on her body, against her skin, so that he knows she is okay. His hands slowly explore her skin, careful not to push her too fast, but still full of need.

She feels his hesitation, but she is not afraid – not with him. She grabs his shirt and quickly removes it. He takes a moment to just look at her, his eyes glistening with love. Wanting him to see that she wants this as much as he does, she removes her bra and his eyes fall to take her in. When he returns his gaze to her face, she is biting her lip and smiling up at him, waiting.

He doesn't hesitate any more. His mouth is on her neck kissing down to her collarbone. His hands slide up her back as he lays her down on the bed. He holds himself up on his elbows so that he can continue to kiss down her body spending extra time at her chest and continuing down her stomach. She squirms beneath him as his tongue teases her belly button and he laughs against her stomach, knowing exactly where her most sensitive spots are. She gasps his name, "Jackson!" and runs her fingers though his hair sending shivers down his body as her nails graze against his skin.

His facial hair is rough and scratchy against her skin as he kisses along the line of her pants. Stopping, he looks up at her with dark, hungry eyes and slides a finger under the waist of her pants silently telling her he wants them off. She lifts up off the bed so that he can pull her remaining clothes down and off of her legs, tossing them to the floor beside them. He positions himself between her legs, lowers his body to hers, and kisses her deeply and fully. She raises her knees to close the space between their hips and she wraps her arms around him pulling his chest down to hers. Her hands explore down his body until she reaches the top of his jeans. "Jackson?" she whispers between kisses. "What?" he answers her without taking his mouth from hers. "Why are you still wearing these?" she unbuttons his pants and slides the zipper down. He stops kissing her to look down at her with a smirk. "I guess I was waiting for you to help me take them off." She pushes down at the waistband of his jeans, and he pulls away from her for a moment to quickly take the rest of his clothes off and throw them on the pile of discarded clothes.

His eyes trail over her body lying, waiting for him, on the bed. He leans down over her and positions himself over her again. He presses his forehead to hers and, for a second, just appreciates that she is here with him again. "God, you're beautiful," he whispers. She blushes at his words and brushes her nose against his. "I love you." she whispers back.

And their bodies fall together, finding their home.

April wakes to the feeling of kisses down her back. She moans quietly but keeps her eyes closed, smiling as she remembers her night with Jackson. The kisses stop and she opens her eyes to see Jackson smiling back at her. Her voice is still groggy with sleep as she asks, "Why did you stop?"

He sighs and moves her hair back from her face. "I don't want to, believe me, but we have to get going. We have to leave for Seattle in a couple of hours. I told Bailey I would go over the data from Diane's clinical trial with her today so we could decide how to proceed. So, as much as I would love to spend the day in bed with you, we can't." He leans over to kiss her on the forehead before getting out of bed.

April reluctantly agrees and drags herself to the shower. "Jackson?" she yells over the running water.

"Yeah?" he calls back.

"You know it would be much faster if we saved time and just showered together…" her suggestion is more than tempting, but the knock on the door tells him their breakfast has arrived. He opens the bathroom door just a bit to stick his head in, "Our room service is here so I have to get the door, but don't think I won't remember this suggestion when we get home."

When April emerges from the shower, she sees that Catherine has joined them for breakfast and she is silently thankful that she decided to wear clothes coming out of the bathroom. "Good morning, Catherine," April greets her as she sits down to eat with them.

"Good morning, sweetheart. How are you feeling?"

"I'm good. Great actually." She smiles across the table at Jackson. "Jackson being here was exactly what I needed."

Jackson looks to his mom with concern and asks, "So what happened with Dotson? He's still in jail, right?"

Catherine's face grows serious and she leans back in her chair and folds her arms. "No. He's not. Another doctor at the hospital posted his bail. I've already asked the board to review that doctor's file as well. I can't imagine defending a man like that, much less posting his bail. There must be a reason."

April feels her stomach drop and suddenly, she is no longer interested in breakfast. "So, he – he's out? He's just out? What happens next? What do we do?" She looks back and forth from Jackson to Catherine hoping for an answer.

Jackson reaches across the table and covers April's hand with his own. "You and I, go home. We go home to our daughter. And you don't worry about Dotson anymore. Like I said, we will handle him. He's already been fired from the hospital and he has a court date. He won't get away with this, April." His words are reassuring, but his eyes are not. As much as she wants to believe he his right, she can't miss the look of uncertainty that passes across the table from Jackson to Catherine.


	7. Chapter 7

**So, I am really missing Japril on our screens, so I decided to keep chapter 7 full of love and happiness for Japril because we need it right now. I will come back to the Dotson stuff, but for now, this chapter is all Japril. I should also say this chapter is definitely rated M, but again, I am new at this, so if it is weird, just block if from your memory. :)**

Chapter 7

As Jackson pulls into the driveway to his house, he is surprised to see the lights still on inside. After their plane landed in Seattle, April had grabbed Harriet from daycare and taken her home while Jackson stayed back at the hospital to discuss Diane's progress with Bailey. The clinical trial was making Diane sicker instead of helping her, and they spent the rest of the day trying to figure out how to convince Maggie that Diane should stop the treatments. He left the hospital much later than he had planned, and he was looking forward to taking a shower and climbing into bed next to April.

He turns the key in the lock and walks inside but stops just inside the door. April is curled up under a blanket, sleeping soundly on the couch. He puts his keys on the hook and walks over to stand beside her, admiring how peaceful she looks. Jackson bends down, kissing her forehead, and whispering her name gently to wake her. "April."

April's eyes open and her face lights up seeing Jackson standing over her. "Hey." She says as she stretches her arms above her head and sits up. "What time is it?"

Jackson sits down next to her on the edge of the couch. "Late. What are you doing sleeping on the couch? I have a perfectly good bed for you to sleep in."

"I was waiting for you. I guess I fell asleep. How did everything go at the hospital?"

"Ugh. Not good. Can we talk about all of that tomorrow though? I really just want to take a shower and take you to bed." April can feel the warmth flood her cheeks as Jackson leans down to kiss her, smiling that he can still make her blush by telling her how much he wants her. But just as their lips meet, they hear cries from down the hall.

April groans and drops her forehead to rest against his shoulder, "She has terrible timing." Throwing the blanket off herself with a deep sigh, she heads to Harriet's room. Before she turns down the hall, she stops and looks back over her shoulder with a flirtatious smile, "I'll feed her and meet you in bed, k?"

Jackson slowly shook his head, smiling back at her, "That's the best thing I've heard all day."

April sat in Harriet's dimly lit nursery, gazing down at her baby girl sleeping in her arms. She knew she should put her back in her crib, but these late-night moments of calm were some of her favorite. Of course, these feedings made her tired, but April would never complain about them. She knew there were worse things that could happen than losing a little sleep, so she made sure to cherish these moments with her sweet daughter.

"Is everything okay?" April looked up to see Jackson leaning against the doorframe of the nursery. He was wearing only a pair of his favorite gym shorts and the light from Harriet's night light made his freshly washed skin seem to glisten. April was silently wishing she had put Harriet down earlier so she could already be in bed with him. "I thought you would already be in bed." Jackson crossed the room to sit on the footrest in front of April's rocking chair.

"Everything's fine. I just didn't want to put her down yet. I missed her so much while I was gone." April lightly brushed her thumb across Harriet's cheek. "Sometimes I think I could stare at her forever, you know?"

"I do." Jackson said as he watched his girls, Harriet sleeping peacefully and April looking down at their daughter as if she were the greatest gift she had ever received.

April sighed and scooted forward in the rocking chair. "I guess I should let her sleep." She carefully walked to Harriet's crib and stood on her tiptoes to lean down and put Harriet in the crib without waking her. For a moment, they both watched their baby girl sleep. "She really is beautiful, isn't she?" April whispered. Jackson wrapped his arms around April's waist from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder. "She is." He whispered back. "Just like her mom."

April turned in his arms to face him, laughing quietly. "I think we both know you're the pretty one in this relationship."

Jackson moved a hand to the side of her face, shaking his head. "You really have no idea how beautiful you are, do you?" He pulled her body in to his and leaned down so that his mouth could find hers. It was so nice to be able to kiss her again whenever he wanted. He had missed feeling this comfortable with her and he deepened the kiss to show her just how much he had missed her.

With a sigh, April pulled back from his kiss, but she kept her eyes closed and leaned her forehead against his. "What's wrong?" Jackson whispered down to her.

April opened her eyes and looked up at him with want in her eyes. "Take me to bed?"

With those words, his mouth found hers again and his hands slid down to her bottom so he could lift her up in one quick motion. Her legs wrapped tightly around his hips, and he carried her down the hall and into their bedroom.

Setting her down lightly on her feet, she broke their kiss only to pull her shirt over her head and toss it on the floor. "Jackson?" She whispered against his mouth.

"What?"

"We've never had sex in this house before."

She could feel Jackson's smile against her lips, "But you have no idea how many times I've thought about it. I've wanted to have sex with you in every room of this house." He swept her hair behind her shoulders and she felt his tongue on her neck.

She wasn't sure if it was the idea of having sex with him in every room or the way he knew all the sensitive areas of her neck to explore, but her knees felt weak and she reached up to grab his shoulders to steady herself. Her breathing was heavy and she could barely get out her response, "Why did we wait so long to do this?"

"I don't know." his breath was hot against her skin, "We'll just have to make sure we make up for lost time."

His hands slid down her back and inside her pants to grab her bottom. She quickly pushed her pants the rest of the way down her legs and kicked them off. Jackson's mouth was at her ear, lightly nibbling on the edge with his teeth, "You're wearing my favorite bra and panties," His voice was deep and breathy.

"I know."

"Too bad you won't be wearing them long." He whispered in to her ear before moving down to cover the top of her breasts with his mouth. He kept one hand on her bottom and the other moved up to unclasp her bra, letting it fall to the floor. April moaned as he took her breast in his mouth completely. Her hands tightly gripped the back of his head, letting him know she wanted him there, wanted his mouth on her body.

She loved the way he made her feel and she wanted to do the same for him. She pulled her breast away from his mouth and he looked back at her with confusion. "Come on," she whispered, taking both of his hands in hers and leading him over to the bed. They stopped just at the edge of the bed and April ran her hands down his chest and into the waist of his shorts pulling them off his hips and letting them drop to the floor. Jackson grinned at her eagerness and pulled her against him. She could feel how ready he was as he pressed his body to hers. His hands went to the top of her panties to remove them, but she stopped him. "Not yet," she told him.

Jackson was surprised at her response considering how eager she was to get his clothes off. "Not yet? What are we waiting for?"

"I want to show you how much I missed you." She could tell by Jackson's expression that he wasn't quite sure what she meant, but when she gently pushed him down on the bed and lowered herself to her knees in front of him, he quickly understood.

"Oh! April, you know you don't have to – I mean, I want you to, I do – but you don't -" Jackson's words quickly stopped when April took him in her mouth. The feeling of her mouth on him was incredible. God, he had missed this. April may not have had as much experience in the bedroom as him, but somehow, she always knew exactly what his body needed. He watched her for a while, enjoying the view of her hands and mouth on his most sensitive areas. A few times she would look up to meet his gaze, her mouth still on him, and that drove him crazy. He tangled his hands in her hair and gently guided her mouth deeper. He moaned loudly as she followed his lead and he realized that he may not last much longer. Reluctantly, he pulled away from her and placed a hand under her chin to lift her face to look at him. "April…"

"What's wrong? Why did you stop me?"

"Because I wasn't going to last much longer." He words came out through his fast breaths.

April grinned proudly, "Well, isn't that a good thing?"

"It is. But it's not what I want." April looked back at him puzzled. He leaned forward to press his mouth to her ear. "I want to be inside you."

April's face flushed with heat at his words, but she wanted the exact same thing. She stood up from the floor and Jackson gripped both sides of her waist pulling her on to the bed to lay next to him, her back against his chest. His right arm was curled under her head, while his left arm trailed down her stomach and into the front of her panties. Her legs instinctively parted for him and his fingers explored her center before he slipped them inside her. She moaned his name and his mouth tasted the skin on her shoulder. He pressed deeper into her, enjoying the sounds that were escaping her lips. She reached down to push her panties off her hips and off her legs. Jackson slid his left leg under hers and raised his knee so that her leg was hooked behind his and her center was completely exposed to him. His fingers found the spot inside her that he knew always made her moan and he watched her face as her eyes fell shut and she called out his name. She reached her hand behind her, wrapping her fingers around him, "Jackson…please…"

He didn't wait for her to ask again. He shifted down on the bed slightly to better align his hips with hers before slowly entering her from behind. She let out a quiet moan, almost a whimper, and he stopped moving to ask, "Is this okay?"

"Yes…yes…you feel amazing. Don't stop." She took Jackson's hand in hers, guiding it to her breast as he pushed into her as deeply as he could go. "I've missed this so much," she breathed, and they began to move together, finding their rhythm.

Jackson massaged her breasts as his hips continued to move against hers, paying extra attention to her nipples. Jackson knew that after April surprised him with falling to her knees in front of him, that he was not going to last much longer, but he wanted to make sure she finished first. Luckily, he knew her body well, so he knew exactly where to touch her to make that happen. April's breathing was getting faster and her moans were getting louder. "April?" He leaned down close to her face.

"Yes?" she breathed.

"I want to hear you scream my name." And his hand moved down to caress her center that he could feel was ready for a release. He quickened the pace of his hips and focused his attention on her most sensitive area knowing she was almost there. And then her head fell back against his chest with a loud moan. He could feel her muscles tighten and release as she came around him, calling out his name. Hearing her yell his name in pleasure was all he needed to meet her. He placed a hand on her hip to hold her steady as he felt his own release inside of her.

Exhausted, they both lay holding on to the other feeling the lasting pleasure. Jackson wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her close to him and rested his head against hers. "God, I love you." April smiled lazily and pulled his arm tighter around her body. "I love you, too."


	8. Chapter 8

**Ready for the next chapter?**

Chapter 8

The sun is barely peeking through the curtains when Jackson's phone vibrates against the night stand. April lifts her head from Jackson's chest and nudges him with her leg that is wrapped over his. She is still half asleep as she says, "Jackson. Your phone. It's probably the hospital."

Jackson doesn't move to reach for his phone. Instead, he hugs her tighter to his body and rests his head against hers.

The phone vibrates again, and Jackson sighs with annoyance.

"Jackson…you have to get that."

Jackson groans, "Maybe if I ignore it, they will call someone else." The vibrating continues until he whines, "Ugh. I'm so comfortable. I do not want to get up!" He reaches for the phone and reluctantly answers it.

"Hello?!"

"Good morning, baby. I know I probably woke you, but I need to talk to you. Is April with you?"

"Mom? What? Uh, yeah. She's right next to me. Why?" April sits up realizing the call is not from the hospital.

Catherine sighs deeply in to the phone. "She has to come back to Chicago. Johnathan thinks she will have a better chance of winning the case if she testifies in person against Dotson. "

Jackson sits up, too, now completely awake, "No. She's not doing that. She already gave her statement. Can't they just use that? She's been through enough, and she shouldn't be forced to be in the same room with him, much less have to relive what happened to her in front of a room full of people."

"I agree, but they are pretty insistent on her being here. Let me see what I can do, but just be prepared."

"Okay. Let me know as soon as you know something. Thanks, Mom." He hangs up the phone and look over to April. He can see by the look on her face that she already understands what the phone call was for.

After a moment, she speaks, her voice breaking, "I – I have to go back? I have to see him again?"

"No. No, you do not have to go back. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. Our lawyer just thinks it would help your case if you testify in person, but we are going to try to find a way around that. My mom is supposed to call us and let us know more later." He takes April's hand in his, "Try not to worry about this. You know my mom. If anyone can make someone change their mind it is Catherine Avery."

April gives him a weak smile, "That's true."

Jackson leans over to kiss her forehead. "Come on. Since we're up we might as well head into work. I want to check on Diane anyway."

April sighs and follows him out of the room, "Well, this is not how I wanted to start my morning.

April leans against the nurse's station and places the iPad she was using back on the charger. It had been one of those days in the ER. Multiple MVCs, a fire at an apartment building, and a case of the flu that seems to be spreading to half of Seattle had kept her tied up all day. She glances at the clock, surprised to see it is already almost five in the afternoon. Usually during work days, she and Jackson meet at least a couple of times each shift to go check on Harriet together, but they hadn't done that once today. He must be just as busy as her. She decides to text him to meet her in the cafeteria so they can grab some food and go check on their little one. She pulls her phone from her pocket and finds his name at the top of her messages list.

April – I am STARVING. I haven't eaten since we left the house. And I miss you. And Harriet. Do you have time to grab something to eat and go check on her with me?

"Dr. Kepner?" Before she can hit send, Dr. Cross calls over to her from one of the patient's beds.

She hesitates, but then returns her phone to her pocket. "Yes, Cross. What do you need?"

Cross looks frantic and April can see that he is unsuccessfully trying to bandage a wound that is bleeding heavily. "Umm…I don't really know. There's just so much blood."

April walks to the patient's side, who at this point is looking at Cross with a terrified expression. "Sir, let me see if I can help Dr. Cross with your wound. Dr. Cross, where is the rest of the gauze?"

Cross's voice comes out squeaky and nervous, "Uhh, I used it all."

"You used it all? On what?"

"Well, see, he was bleeding, so I thought I could just absorb the blood instead of doing stitches, but that didn't really work, so then I thought – "

"Okay, you know what? Never mind. Sir, I am going to go get some more gauze, and I will bandage your arm. Dr. Cross? Try not to break anything before I get back."

 _How hard is it to wrap gauze around someone's arm?_ April thinks to herself as she heads to the supply closet closest to the ER. The gauze is always stored on the shelf closest to the door, but when April reaches up on to the shelf, she finds the box is empty. _And of course, no one can restock the supplies because that is just the type of day I am having._ She throws the empty box in to the trash and heads to the back of the closet to locate the rest of the gauze. She makes a mental note to tell Chief Bailey that someone needs to organize the supply closets better. How are they supposed to find things in an emergency? Maybe she should create a checklist. She spots the gauze on a shelf above her head and stands on her tip toes to each it. Her fingers just reach the box when she feels a hand roughly grab her around the waist and pull her backwards away from the shelves.

"No! Don't touch me! Don't touch me!" April pushes the man's arm off of her, turns around pushing him away, and backs up against the back wall of the closet. Her breathing is heavy and she wipes the tears from her face as the man in front of her comes into focus in the darkness of the closet.

Jackson is looking down at her with concern in his eyes. "Hey." He whispers, holding his hands up as if to calm her. "Hey. I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking. I shouldn't have – are you okay?" He can see that she is shaking and he wants to take her in his arms, but he also doesn't want to frighten her again.

April tries to steady her breathing, but her response comes out in gasps. "I – I'm so – sorry. I didn't – I didn't know – I thought - you were him."

"Oh, God, April. What can I do? What do you need?"

April closes her eyes and leans her head back against the wall. She doesn't answer him and he doesn't push. He just gives her space and waits because he doesn't know what else to do. When her hands have stopped shaking, he reminds her he is there.

"April?" He whispers.

She opens her eyes to find his, watching her, waiting for her. "I'm sorry, Jackson. I don't know what happened. I thought I was fine. I thought I had put this all behind me. I just – I thought I was okay." Her tears are falling faster now and Jackson steps forward, extending his arms to her if she will accept them, and she falls into him, sobbing. "Why can't I get past this, Jackson? Why?"

Jackson doesn't know how to answer her. He doesn't know how to help her. So, he just holds her in the dark silence for as long as she needs.

The car ride home is mostly quiet, both of them emotionally and physically exhausted from the day. "I'll grab her." Jackson says to April as he shuts off the ignition and opens his door. "Her car seat is getting heavy." Jackson grabs Harriet's from the backseat and smiles down at her chewing on her fist. He can never get enough of her. April slings the diaper bag over her shoulder and follows behind her family up the sidewalk and on to the porch. Jackson sets the car seat down on the step to dig his keys out of his pocket. "Man that was a long day," he thinks out loud.

April is drained and doesn't offer much in response. "Yeah."

Jackson turns the key in the lock, but instead of opening the door, he pauses and turns to April.

"Did you come home today?"

"No, I barely had time to breathe today, why?"

"The door was unlocked." He exchanges a puzzled look with April, then turns the knob and pushes the door open. He flips on the light switch next to the front door and hangs his key on the hook. Looking around, he quickly assesses the living room. Everything looks exactly the same, just as they left it.

"Maybe we didn't lock it? We did have a weird morning. After your mom called we were both pretty preoccupied. Maybe we forgot?" April offers a suggestion that makes sense, although he isn't sure she believes if herself.

"Yeah…maybe."

"I'm sure it's fine," April tells him. "I'm going to start dinner. If you put Harriet in her high chair I can entertain her while I cook if you want to shower or something."

"That would be great actually. I'll go shower and then I'll switch you, okay?"

"Okay, sounds good."

Jackson unbuckles Harriet from her car seat and follows April into the kitchen. He hooks her into her high chair and places some puffs on her tray to keep her from demanding April feed her while she is trying to cook. "I'll hurry." He says, kissing April on the forehead and heading back into the living room. He stops at the front door, locking it, and double checking that it really is locked before heading toward their bedroom. _April's probably right_ , he tells himself, _I'm sure we just forgot to lock it_.


	9. Chapter 9

Jackson has checked every lock in the house multiple times. He checked the front door, the back door, the garage door – he even checked the windows in Harriet's room and the room he now shares with April. _You're paranoid_ , he tells himself. _You just forgot to lock it._ He shuts off the hallway light and walks into their bedroom just as April is laying Harriet down in her playpen at the foot of their bed. They agreed over dinner that they would both feel more comfortable if Harriet slept in their room tonight, just in case.

"She's asleep?" He whispers through the darkness.

"Yes. I just fed her, so hopefully she sleeps for a while so we can, too. I was falling asleep feeding her. I guess I didn't realize how tired I am until now." Keeping her voice low, she collapses on to their bed in exhaustion and throws an arm over her eyes.

"Yeah, it's been a long day." Jackson peeks into the playpen at their little girl sleeping peacefully before climbing in bed next to April. He goes to reach for her waist and pull her to him, but hesitates, remembering how broken she seemed in the supply closet earlier that day. He didn't want to scare her again, but he wants to make sure she knows she is safe. He runs his fingers through her soft curls, and whispers, "Babe?"

April lets the arm covering her eyes fall to the bed and looks up at him with heavy eyes. "What?"

She can see the concern and stress in Jackson's eyes when he whispers back, "Are you okay? We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I just need to know that you're okay."

April reaches for him and closes the space between them, resting her head on his chest and pressing her body against his. "I think so. I mean, I think I will be. I don't know why I freaked out today. I just felt someone grab me, and it was like I was back there in his office with his hands on me. I just – I don't know. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to freak out. I don't want you to think I'm going to do that every time you touch me now. I won't. I promise."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. _I'm_ sorry. I wasn't thinking. The way you reacted is perfectly normal after everything that happened." His pulls her tighter against his body and sighs, frustrated that he caused her to be so upset.

"Yeah…maybe…" April mumbles. She can feel her mind drifting off until she remembers to ask, "Jackson? Did you double check the door?"

He kisses the top of her head and whispers in to her hair, "Yes. You're safe."

April's body relaxes fully for the first time all day, and she lets sleep take over completely.

Work the next day is less crazy than the day before, and Jackson and April are able to grab lunch together in the cafeteria. It doesn't take long before the empty seats at their table are occupied by Owen and Alex.

Alex twists the cap off his water and tosses it on to the table. "How'd I get stuck with Cross today? It's like working with a more annoying version of O'Malley…"

"Oh, come on, Alex. Cross isn't so bad." April may have been annoyed with Cross yesterday, but she never has an unkind word to say about anyone.

"Oh really? You wanna trade? You've got Deluca today, right? I'd rather work with the guy who tried to send me to prison than Cross. That's how much of an idiot he is."

April smiled, knowing Alex might have a point, "No thanks. I think I'll keep Deluca."

"So much for helping your friends…" Alex leans back in his chair and takes a bite of his apple. He sounds annoyed, but April has learned over the years that Alex may act like a jerk, but he means well most of the time.

Owen sets his glass on the table and turns to April, "Speaking of friends, April, I forgot to tell you – a friend of yours came by the ER this morning looking for you."

"A friend of mine?" She can't think of anyone who would have come to visit her without calling or texting first. "Who was it?"

"He didn't leave a name. Nice guy, though. He just asked if you were around and when I told him you weren't, he asked when you would be working next."

A sinking feeling crept over April. _Surely it wasn't him. He wouldn't come to, Seattle._ Jackson noticed the tension in April's body and moved his hand to her leg attempting to offer reassurance by rubbing circles with his thumb. He cleared his throat and asked the question April had been silently wondering. "Ahem…um, what did he look like?"

"Why Avery? You jealous?" Alex quipped, and then noticing Jackson's hand on April's leg he asked, "What, are you two doing it again?"

Alex's question brought April's eyes up from the spot she was staring at on the table. She realized that none of their friends really knew what happened in Montana – or Chicago for that matter. Jackson physically comforting her must seem a bit out of place. This wasn't really the time to get into all of that, so Jackson disregarded the question, "Shut up, Karev."

Alex smirks, "I'll take that as a yes." He pushes his chair back loudly and walks away leaving his half-empty water bottle on the table.

Jackson and April turned back to Owen, waiting for an answer, not quite sure they wanted to hear it.

"What did he look like? I don't know…tall, dark hair, probably around your guy's age?" Owen offers the only information he can remember. "Sorry, I didn't ask more questions. I had a patient I needed to get back to."

"Oh, no, Owen, don't be sorry! Thank you for passing along the message. I'm sure I'll figure out who it was eventually." April doesn't want Owen to feel bad. None of this has anything to do with him. "Wait, did you answer him when he asked when I work again?"

"No, of course not. I just explained we can't give out our doctor's schedules for safety reasons. He seemed to understand that. If he comes by again I'll be sure to get his name." Owen smiles and gathers his leftover food on to his tray. He stands up to head back to the ER, but pauses before he goes, "I know this is none of my business, but if Alex is right – I mean, about you two, together – well, I think it's a good thing." Owen can see by the smiles on their faces and the brief look they exchange that Alex was indeed right. "Well, I'll see you guys later."

Finding themselves alone at the table, April and Jackson turn to each other.

"You don't think…" April doesn't want to voice the idea out loud.

"I don't know what to think. I didn't think the guy I knew in med school would try to –" Jackson sees April shift in her chair, visibly uncomfortable, and doesn't finish the thought. They both know what Dotson could have done – would have done - if someone hadn't walked in. "Let's call my mom. Maybe she can find out if Dotson is still in Chicago, and we can see if she made any progress with you not testifying." He pulls his phone from his pocket. "The battery on my phone is dying. Can you call her on yours?"

"Yeah. Of course." April reaches into her lab coat pocket for her phone but finds nothing there. "Oh. I don't have it. That's weird. Maybe I left it in my locker? But I swear I grabbed it. I always grab it in case the daycare texts me."

"You probably just left it in your locker. It's been a weird couple of days. We're both feeling a little off, I think." Jackson grabs April's tray and stacks it on top of his. "Go grab it from your locker, and I'll call Mom from the board room phone. Meet me there?"

"Okay. I'll meet you there."

April heads to the attending's lounge rechecking her pockets on the way to make sure she doesn't really have her phone with her. She doesn't have much in her locker – her purse, a change of clothes, extra scrubs, and some hygiene products for when she has to get ready there. Opening the door, she sees the collage she hung up of her favorite photos. Seeing the faces of her favorite people always makes tough days a little easier. There are a couple of her parents and sisters and one from a girl's night with Arizona. But the majority of them are of Jackson and Harriet. Even when things were rough between her and Jackson she couldn't bring herself to take them down. There's a selfie of her and Jackson on the couch in the place they shared with Alex, a photo she snapped of Jackson at the hotel in Lake Tahoe, and a picture of Harriet sleeping in Jackson's arms that he sent her the night he took her home from the hospital. She can't help but think of how much they have been through together. They can get through this, too. They've been through worse.

She lifts her extra clothes and scrubs off the shelf to check for her phone. Nothing. She opens her purse and pulls everything out, emptying it, hoping her phone is there somewhere. When she doesn't find it, she places her purse and belongings back in her locker and shuts the door. She checks the floor around her locker and the table in the middle of the room. No phone. _Where could it be?_ She sighs and heads to the board room, hoping Jackson has better news.

Jackson is leaning against the table, still on the phone with Catherine, when she walks in.

"Yeah, no, I know. April just walked in. I'll let her know. Okay, bye."

"So, what did she find out?" April cautiously asks.

"She said our lawyers convinced Dotson's attorney and the judge to use your written statement as your testimony."

April's face lights up at hearing the news. "So, I don't have to go back? I don't have to see him?"

"Nope."

"Oh, thank God." April throws her arms around his neck. "Remind me to tell your mom how amazing she is next time I see her."

Jackson wraps his arms around her waist and laughs, "Like she doesn't already think that." He pulls back and looks down at her. "So, where was your phone?"

"I have no idea! I didn't find it." April was so happy to hear she didn't have to go back to Chicago that she had momentarily forgotten her phone was lost.

"Weird. Are you sure you even brought it with you today?"

"Yes. I took a picture of Harriet when we dropped her off at daycare, remember? I thought she looked so cute in her little dress, and I took a picture."

Jackson did remember her taking a picture now that she mentioned it. "Oh, that's right. Well, then it has to be here somewhere. Maybe someone found it and turned it in. They can just look at the photos and figure out the phone belongs to one of us."

April's face turned a deep shade of red. "Oh my God. I hope not. Jackson, what if one of the interns found it. Or someone like Karev? Oh no. Whoever finds it cannot go through my photos. I'll die."

"That's a bit dramatic don't you think? Pretty much everyone here has seen the hundreds of photos of Harriet you have on your phone." Jackson didn't understand why she would care so much.

"Yeah, but they haven't seen _those_ photos." April's eyes widened as she emphasized the word _those_.

"I'm not following…" Jackson still didn't know what the big deal was.

"Jackson…the photos of me…that I sent you. They're still on my phone…" April didn't know why she had to spell it out for him. He had the same photos on his phone.

 _When they were married and Jackson had to work late or they worked opposite shifts, April would send him pictures to remind him how much she missed him. And some of the pictures were more than that. They were to give him incentive to hurry home. To show him what was waiting for him. And for some reason, even after the divorce, April had kept all of their messages and photos saved on her phone. Jackson had too, for that matter. She saw the photos saved on his phone one night after she had moved in with him after Harriet was born. She was looking through his photos for a specific one of Harriet at Christmas to print. She knew she had sent him the pictures, but she was still surprised to see he kept them._

 _"_ _Jackson! You still have these pictures on your phone?" April leaned closer to Jackson on their couch so he could see what she was looking at._

 _A smirk appeared on his face as he realized what pictures she was referring to. "Of course I do. Those are some of my favorites."_

 _April playfully slapped his arm. "I assumed you deleted all of these. Oh my gosh, you don't let people look through your photos, do you? You haven't shown these to anyone, right?"_

 _Jackson suddenly felt embarrassed that April knew he probably still looked at her pictures even though they weren't together. "April, I would_ never _let anyone see these pictures. You sent them to me because you trust me, and I wouldn't jeopardize that, regardless of whether or not we are together." His answer seemed to satisfy April's worries because she didn't say anything else about the photos. Jackson expected her to ask him to delete them but she never did. He took the phone from her hand and flipped through to a different photo of her. "Besides, there are some good memories attached to these pictures. Especially this one."_

 _April's face flushes remembering what happened the night she sent that picture to Jackson._ That was a good night _, she thinks to herself. "You're terrible," she laughs and changes the subject. "Just text me the picture of Harriet I wanted, okay? And keep those pictures to yourself!"_

 _He smiles to himself at April's permission to keep the pictures. "I will. I promise."_

Jackson suddenly realizes which pictures April is referring to. "Oh. Oh! Yeah, we need to find your phone!"

April looks exasperated. "I know! That's what I've been saying!"

"Okay, I have an hour until my next consult, and Deluca will page you if he needs you in the ER, right? So, let's retrace your steps. Maybe it just fell out of your pocket somewhere. We can start in the daycare since we know you had it there." They step into the hallway and turn the corner to head toward the elevator.

Just before Jackson reaches out to press the button, Deluca stops them. "Hey! Dr. Kepner!"

"Hey Deluca. Do you need me? Is there a patient that needs something?" April asks.

"No, no. Everything's fine in the ER. I just wanted to let you know that a man gave this to me and said it belongs to you. I know you are probably looking for it, so I wanted to get it back to you." April and Jackson look down to see April's cell phone in Deluca's outstretched hand.

April hesitates, then takes the phone from him. "A man gave you my phone?"

Deluca nods, explaining, "Yeah. It was kinda weird. He just appeared and told me that it belonged to you. I went to ask him how he had it, but he was already walking away. Anyway, I'm sure your happy to have it back. I'm gonna get back to the ER. See you later."

April held her phone in her hand, unsure what to do next. "Jackson?" She looked up at him to see he was staring at her phone with the same concerned look on his face as her. "Did you get an answer from your mom? Does she know where he is?"

Jackson looked reluctant to answer the question, and when he did, part of April wished that he hadn't. "She doesn't know. There were no restrictions on his bail. He could be anywhere."


	10. Chapter 10

**So, this is it guys! The last chapter! I hope you like how I wrapped everything up. I am pretty happy with it overall for my first story, and I am already planning my next one. I think I am hooked! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. You were all so encouraging, and I really appreciate it.** **Enjoy the final chapter of Chicago!**

 **Chapter 10**

"You know what, Jackson? I'm not doing this." April has that determined look on her face that she gets when she sets her mind to something.

Jackson raises his eyebrows, not quite sure what she is getting at. "You're not doing what exactly?"

"This. Any of this. I'm done walking around like there is a shadow behind me. I'm done looking over my shoulder, jumping at every noise, I'm done letting him have any more control over my life. He's probably still in Chicago and we are letting him get to us from halfway across the country. People forget to lock doors, and they lose their phones. I _do_ have friends who would come visit me. There are reasonable explanations for all of this, but instead we are letting him have all the power. I'm done allowing him to do that to us. From now on, he is out of my head and out of my life."

Jackson can't help but smile at her with pride. When faced with a situation that would send most people spiraling, she always gathers her strength and rises to the occasion. And this time is no different. He could not be more proud of her. "You're right. We're just being paranoid 'cause everything's been so crazy lately. We shouldn't give him another thought." He gives her a quick kiss and looks down at his watch. "I should probably get ready for my consult. Meet you in the lounge at 5:00 to head home?"

"Yes. 5 o'clock."

Jackson turns to head up to his meeting, but turns back after a couple of steps. "Oh, and I forgot to mention, my mom is coming to dinner tonight."

"Your mom? She's back in town?" The last April knew Catherine was still wrapping things up in Chicago.

"Her plane should be landing any minute." His face looks hesitant for a moment and he apprehensively mentions, "So…do you mind cooking dinner?"

"Oh! Oh. I'm cooking dinner for your mom tonight? Umm, yeah. I mean, sure. I don't have anything planned, but I can figure something out." As much as April and Catherine's relationship has improved, April still feels the need to impress her, so cooking dinner for her adds a bit of stress to April's already stressful day.

"Everything you cook is amazing. Try not to stress about it."

April gives him a look that lets him know his advice is less than helpful, "Yeah, easy for you to say."

Her response makes him grin, and he calls over his shoulder while walking away, "I'll help! I promise!"

"Sure you will!" April calls back. Well, if nothing else, making dinner for Catherine Avery should be enough to take her mind of everything else, she thinks to herself.

"Jackson, will you taste this sauce? Does it need more seasoning?" April lifts a spoon to Jackson's mouth letting him taste the sauce she made to go with the pasta. She decided on pasta because it was quick and easy. Between making dinner, keeping an eye on Harriet, and making sure she looks presentable, quick and easy was just what she needed.

"Oh my God, that's good." Jackson takes the spoon from her hand and dips it back in to the sauce bringing another spoonful to his mouth. "Babe, this is amazing. My mom's going to love it. How are you such a great cook?"

April laughs, "A lot of practice. My sisters and I took turns cooking dinner every night, and I made countless dishes for church stuff, too. My mom made sure my sisters and I knew how to cook whether we wanted to or not. She always said that our husbands would appreciate it one day."

"Mmm. She was right."

April playfully smacks Jackson on the arm. "Hey! Stop eating all the food. There's not going to be anything left for your mom to eat." Jackson sets the spoon down in the sink and watches as April pulls the bread she baked out of the oven. Turning to him with a sigh, she says, "Okay, everything's ready. I'll just keep it warm until she gets here. Do you mind if I jump in the shower?"

"Yeah, go ahead. Harriet's still sleeping, so I'll just check the score on the game."

"Okay, I'll be fast." April tosses the pot holder on to the counter and heads for their bedroom, already anticipating how nice a hot shower will feel.

She turns on the water and lets the steam begin to rise while she undresses. She tosses her clothes in the hamper next to the wall since she planned to wear one of her favorite dresses for dinner with Catherine anyway. The glass door is already foggy when she opens it and steps under the stream of water. For a moment, she just stands there, letting the water wash the stress of the past week off of her. She rolls her head from side to side so the strong pressure falls across her neck, relaxing her muscles. She leans her head back under the water as it falls onto her hair and drips down her back. The tension releasing from her body sends chills down her spine. For the first time in a long time, she is thinking about nothing – not Dotson, not work, not sleepy middle of the night feedings – nothing.

Her peaceful moment is interrupted when the shower door opens. She jumps seeing Jackson, completely undressed, looking in at her through the steam.

April's hand goes to her chest as she tries to slow her breathing, "Oh my gosh, you scared me, Jackson! Your mom's going to be here any minute. What are you doing?"

Jackson steps in to the shower, closing the door behind him. "She is running late. So, I thought, since we have some time…" His hands find her waist and his mouth finds her neck, kissing her while she sighs and leans into him.

"This may be the most amazing shower I have ever taken." She mumbles, distracted by his mouth on her skin.

Jackson pulls away and looks down at her with narrowed eyes, "Oh really? And I wasn't even in here yet. April Kepner, what were you doing in her all by yourself?" He grins, thinking of what he hopes she had been doing, but when she pushes his chest and rolls her eyes he knows that isn't what she meant. That doesn't stop him from teasing her about it, though. "I mean, I can leave if you want to be alone."

She laughs, blushing at what he was hinting, "Stop it, Jackson. You and I both know I would much rather have you in here. I was just saying, the water feels amazing. I could stay in here for hours."

He places his hands on her hips, pulling her back to him. "Well, I don't know if we have hours…but we do have some time, and I think we should make the most of it."

He kisses her, softly and slowly at first, to match the calm she has found in the shower, and then he deepens the kiss wanting to make sure her mind stays in the present. She raises her arms, wrapping them around his neck letting the feeling of the water falling against her back and Jackson's body against hers overtake her thoughts completely.

Jackson's hand slides up the sides of her waist, taking her breast in his hand and rubbing his thumb back and forth over her nipple. April sighs and moves her hand to grip his hard erection in her hand, slowly rubbing him up and down until he puts a hand against the shower wall and whispers, "Damn" under his breath. Her free hand moves to the sensitive skin between his legs, teasing it with her fingers and massaging his testicles. He leans his head against his forearm that is resting against the wall now and closes his eyes, enjoying April's hands on him. He can feel himself growing harder in her hands and he reaches down to cover her hand with his own stopping her motions. His voice is low and husky, "April. I came in here to take care of you. Not the other way around."

April stands on her tip toes and pulls his face down to her so she is close enough to whisper in his ear, "Well, if you want to take care of me, then you should be inside me."

Not needing another invitation, his hands are on her ass lifting her up to straddle his waist. He keeps one arm under her and one behind her so she feels supported and her legs press into his hips. She wraps her arms around his neck and leans her head back against the wall as his mouth moves down her neck.

Suddenly, April opens her eyes and lifts her head from the wall. "Jackson, wait."

He continues kissing her neck, trying to distract her from her thoughts. "Why?"

"Did you hear that? What was that?"

Jackson lifts his head to look in her eyes. "I didn't hear anything. No more being paranoid, remember? Our daughter is sleeping soundly right outside the door, and you are naked and wet in my arms. Everything is perfect. Okay?"

She smiles back at him, knowing he is probably right. "Okay," her voice softly agrees and leans forward, kissing him to encourage him to pick up where he left off. "Mmm," he moans against her mouth. "We should probably hurry."

April wiggles her hips against him, pressing her center closer to his waiting erection. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

He moves his hand under her to line himself up at her entrance. His eyes flicker to hers and he enters her slowly, watching her eyes close and her mouth fall open as he presses deeper into her.

"Jackson," she breathes his name and begins to move her hips in small circles letting him know she wants more because her position between him and the wall gives him all the control.

He usually likes to start slow and enjoy her body as much as possible, but he quickens his rhythm earlier this time, thrusting into her hard and fast, knowing they don't have much time.

The intensity of his movements causes her to slip a bit and he grabs the outside of her thighs to lift her back up. "You okay?"

"Harder," her response comes out as almost a whimper, pleading with him to give her what she needs, and he responds, thrusting deeper and harder into her as her moans let him know he is bringing her closer to climax. "Yes! Just like that!"

It is not long before feeling herself come undone, she drags her nails across his back and calls out his name. The combination of her inner walls tightening around him while his name falls from her lips has him finding his release in her soon after.

Their foreheads meet and they stay still holding on to each other until they are ready to let go. Their breathing slows, and Jackson slowly sets her feet on the floor keeping his hands on her waist to steady her still trembling legs.

"Wow." She places her hands on his shoulders for support and smiles up at him.

"Yeah, wow." Jackson reaches over to grab her shampoo realizing that she came in here to actually shower before he joined her. He starts to tell her that he will wash her hair, but the look on her face stops him. She is looking behind him, through the fog of the shower door and to the window across the bathroom. The blinds are closed, but through the cracks he can see what has her distracted. The red and blue lights flashing just outside their window are shining brightly into the bathroom. "What in the world…"

Exchanging a look of concern with Jackson, April twists the handle to turn off the water and follows him out of the shower. They quickly throw on some sweat pants and t-shirts, lean over the playpen to see Harriet still fast asleep, and head down the hallway into the living room. Simultaneously, Jackson's phone vibrates against the coffee table and someone is pounding against their door. Jackson grabs his phone and motions to April to stay where she is, "Do not open that. I'll get it." He looks down at his phone. "I have twelve missed calls from my Mom. What in the world is going on?"

He walks to the door, with April a few steps behind him, and opens it to find Catherine and two policemen.

"Mom? What is going on?"

"Jackson, I have been calling you and calling you! Why didn't you answer your phone? I thought something happened to you. I thought he got in here!"

"Sorry. I was – we were, umm, wait, what do you mean "he got in here?" Who? Can someone just tell me what is happening?"

One of the policemen speaks up, "Sir, could we come in? We have some things we need to speak with you about."

Jackson steps aside, allowing the policemen and his mother to enter. "Um…should we sit?"

They sit, with the policemen on one end of the couch, Jackson and April on the other, and Catherine between them. After exchanging a look, one of the men speaks, "Mr. Avery, is it?"

"Uh, Dr. Avery, but yes." Jackson responds.

The office clears his throat and continues, "Dr. Avery, it appears that there was an intruder outside of your home attempting to get in. Your mother saw him outside a window as she approached your house and called us. She parked down the street so she didn't scare him away. Smart thinking, actually. He probably would have ran had he seen someone coming. Did you happen to hear or see anything unusual in the past few hours?"

"What?" April's voice is barely audible. Jackson feels her body tense next to his, so he scoots closer to her taking her hand in his.

"No. Not that I can think of, no. I mean, we haven't been home from work that long, but I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary."

The officer turns to April, "And Mrs. Avery? What about you? Did you see or hear anything?"

"Um, I'm n – I um – you said he was outside our house?"

"Yes ma'am. That's correct."

"And where is he now?"

"In the back of our patrol car in your driveway. We have an officer watching him. We confiscated his belongings and we are running his information to see what we can find on him." The walkie attached to his belt clicks and static fills the room until another voice breaks through.

"Hey, Dan? Could you come out her for a second? There's something you might need to see."

Detaching the walkie and bringing it to his mouth, he responds, "Yeah buddy, I'll be right there. Excuse us Dr. Avery, Mrs. Avery. We'll be right back." The officers stand and head out to their cars leaving Jackson, April, and Catherine alone on the couch.

"Mom, did you see the guy? It's not…" Jackson doesn't need to finish the question. He knows his mother well enough to see by the look on her face that the man who was lurking outside their window is Jeff Dotson. He rubs his hand over his head and then wraps his arms around April pulling her to him.

Catherine sighs and puts a hand on April's leg to comfort her. "They caught him, baby. He is going to jail, and this time he is not getting out."

April sits up and looks up at Jackson with tears in her eyes. "Jackson," she whispers, "he was at our house. What if your mom hadn't –"

"Shhh. Shhh. Shhh." He pulls her back into his arms and runs his fingers over her hair. "Don't think about that. My mom was here, and he is caught. We are fine. You're safe."

A knock on the door causes them all to look up. "Come in!" Jackson calls, and the police officers open the door and come into the living room, standing instead of sitting this time.

"Mrs. Avery, can we ask you a question?"

April looks to Jackson and Catherine and finally to the officers. "Yes."

"Do you know someone named Jeff Dotson?"

The tears she had been holding back spill over on to her cheeks now at hearing his name out loud. "Um…yes, I do. He um..I –"

"He assaulted her. In Chicago. Last week. She is pressing charges against him. We're just waiting on his trial. It's him, right? He's the one who is out there in your car? The one who tried to break in our house?" Jackson's voice grows louder and louder as he speaks, unable to contain his anger.

There is hesitation in the officer's voice as he answers, "Yes. Mr. Dotson is the man we found outside your house. But, um, Mrs. Avery? I don't know how else to ask this, but…have you ever sent any photos to Mr. Dotson?"

"No!" April quickly responds. "I've never sent him anything. Photos? Of me? What photos did he have?"

Hesitating again, the officer finally steps forward and hands a photo to April upside down. "This is one of them."

Turning the photo over, April gasps. The picture in her hand is one she sent to Jackson months ago, an intimate picture that was only meant for him. "How did he…" And then she remembers. "My phone!"

"Excuse me?"

"My phone! My phone went missing today at work. And Hunt – Hunt said someone came by to see me. And yesterday, the door was unlocked. Oh my God…"

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I'm not following. You think he had your phone?"

Jackson suddenly realized that the events of the past few days were not just them being paranoid. Dotson was behind all of them. Looking up at the policemen, he advised them, "You guys might want to have a seat again. This is kind of a long story."

 **Six weeks later**

The click of Catherine's heels against the tile floor let Jackson and April know that she is on her way back. With the mountain of evidence against him, Dotson chose to take a plea deal rather than take the case to trial, as his lawyers advised him he no longer had a chance of winning. Catherine, Jackson, and April had been meeting with their lawyers for weeks to discuss the options and what they wanted his sentence to be. And now the day was here. The Avery's lawyers were the best, but April knew Dotson's lawyers would be good, too. She looked up as Catherine approached them, trying to read her face for any hint of the outcome. Jackson took April's hand in his and pulled her to stand beside him, waiting for Catherine to speak. Her typically stern face broke into a smile, and she placed a hand against April's cheek. "We did it. You did it. He is going away for a very long time."

April let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. "He is?" she quietly asked.

"He is, baby. You will never have to see him again."

April let go of Jackson's hand to throw her arms around Catherine. "Thank you. Thank you so much, Catherine."

Catherine hugs her back tightly, "Of course, April. You are family. And no one messes with my family."

Jackson laughs, knowing how true that statement is, and opens his arms for April to rest against his chest.

"Well, I still have some paperwork I need to sign and some phone calls to make. You two should go home and rest. Enjoy each other and your precious baby girl. You have been through a lot, but now you can breathe." She kisses Jackson on the cheek and turns to head back down the hallway.

With a deep sigh, April leans back in Jackson's arms and looks up at him. "It's really over?" she asks.

"Yeah, babe. It really is." He places a soft kiss on her forehead, and takes her by the hand. "Come on. Let's go home."


End file.
